Stiffener for coat-fronts.



No. 769,411. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

' C. W. SCHWEICHLER.

STIPPENER FOR COAT FRONTS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. 1904. NO MODEL.

Laza Z2757? l I a? Mm I Patented September 6, 1 904.

FFTcE.

CARL W. SCHWEIQIILER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ISTIFFENER FOR COAT-FRONTS.

sescrrleArlou for part of Letters Patent No. 769,411, dated September 6,1904.

Application filed March 23,1904. Serial No. 199,520, IN d l.)

Be it known that I, GARLW'. Sonwnroiugnn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at (lhicage, in the county of (look and State oflllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStiti'eners for Coat-Fronts, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact specilication.

This invention relates more particularly to that part of acoat-stiffener which extends down the front of each edge of the coatfrom the top of the shoulder for imparting form and stiffness thereto;and the invention has for one of its objects to provide improved meansfor imparting t0 the shoulder portion a concave-convex form that willmake it conform to the hollow or contour of the shoulder and the collar.

\Vith these ends in View my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty, hereinaf ter described, by which the said object and certainother ob ects hereinafter appearmg are attained, all as fully describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, and v more particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is an inside view of my improvedcoat-stiffener, showing its relation and connection to the shoulderpad.Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof, taken on the line 2 2, Fig. I,looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.1 looking at the opposite side. Fig. & is an enlarged detail view of thetwo pieces of fabric before they are stitched together. Fig. 5 is atransverse section of the coat-stiffener, showing the method of holdingit while being stitched; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view showingthe slot and gashes before they are stitched together.

In carrying out my invention I employ a layer of canvas 1 or of anyother suitable material which in the example of the invention shown inthe drawings is arranged on the outer side of the stiffener and securedto a layer of wigging 2, haircloth, or any other material usuallyemployed for stiffening in garments by means of lines of stitching 3.These lines of stitching are curved approximately parallel with the edgeof the stiffener, which is itself curved to conform to the edge I I I II I I\ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I of the coat in which it is tobe used, and by thus curving the lines of stitching and holding the edgeof the can as 1 elevated, so that it will assume the arc of a circle, asshown in Fig. 2, while the stitching is being done, the device will begiven a dished form or curvature in the direction in which the canvas isbent or curved during the stitching operation, the lines of stitchingbeing zigzag, as shown. This permanent curvature of the stiffener iscaused partly by the stretching of the canvas and the contraction of thewigging or top layer 2 and partly by the curved charactor of the linesof stitching, which in themselves produce a tendency in the goods todish. The curvature imparted to the arti- 'le by hand during thestitching operation is retained by the Zigzag stitching, which producesa tendency to draw transversely. order, however, that the curvature maybe even, more positive, and permanent, I prefer to provide the canvas orthe outer layer of material with one or more V-shaped gashes which whenthe stitching is produced are closed, as shown in Fig. 3, and, ifdesired, the edges of the gashes may be stitched to the wigging or layerof material 2 by stitching 5 before the stitching is commenced, or atleast before the lines of stitching 2) cross the gashes.

At the upper part of the stiffener, extending downwardly in an obliquedirection from a point near the upper edge, is an elliptical gash oraperture T. which is produced in the piece 1, preferably before thestitching 3, and when this piece and the other members of'the stiffenerare secured together and combined with the pad 6 the edges of this gashT are drawn together and stitched, thereby imparting to the shoulderportion of the stiffener a concave-convex form, which makes it conformto the hollow of the shoulder and the collar.

The stifl'encr thus constructed may or may not. as desired, be formedintegral with or secured to the shoulder-pad (5.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is'-- i. As a new and useful articleof manufacture, a coat-stiffener adapted toextend down the front side ofthe shoulder of the coat and having an elliptical gash or apertureextending downwardly from the top of the shoulder with the edges of suchgash brought together and secured to make the shoulder part conform tothe shoulder of the wearer and the collar.

2. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a coat-stiffener adaptedto extend down the front side of the coat from the shoulder andcomprising an outer layer of fabric, an inner layer of fabric havingV-shaped gashes in the edge thereof, the edges of which gashes arebrought together and secured, upwardlyextending lines of stitchingwhereby the layers are secured together to produce a convex form, and anelliptical gash or aperture in the shoulder part of said stiffenerhaving its edges secured together and extending downwardly to make theshoulder part conform to the shoulder of the wearer and the collar.

CARL W. SCHWEICHLER. Witnesses:

F. A. HOPKINS, M. B. ALLSTADT.

